


I’m not going anywhere (except home with you)

by explodingsnapple



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Difficult Decisions, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fix-It, Friendship, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:08:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23029855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/explodingsnapple/pseuds/explodingsnapple
Summary: Canon-Divergence from 16x09 and Onwards: Alex gets rehired after Meredith’s trial. When he comes back from visiting his mom, he and Jo run into some old colleagues and friends, which leads them to make a life-altering decision.
Relationships: Alex Karev & Arizona Robbins, Alex Karev/Jo Wilson Karev, Calliope "Callie" Torres & Jo Wilson Karev, Jo Wilson Karev & Atticus Lincoln
Comments: 10
Kudos: 57





	I’m not going anywhere (except home with you)

**Author's Note:**

> Or, Alex and Jo get the send-off they deserve.

For the third week in a row, Jo Karev has absolutely nothing to do. Technically, she’s supposed to be furthering her targeted-drug-delivery research, but that’s hard to do when all of the cell colonies in your control group inexplicably turn purple. Jo prods the petri dish with a pipet one last time before she decides that it’s time to go find something else to do.

She just finishes locking the door to the lab when she’s nearly knocked over by someone in light-blue scrubs carrying a giant stack of case-files and running straight at her.

“Hey, Parker, you haven’t seen Bailey, have you?” Jo calls after him.

Casey skids to a stop and turns around, nearly dropping the files in the process. “Nope, but I think she’s about to scrub in for a Whipple,” he says.

Jo nods. “Thanks. Do you need me to carry some of those for you?” Normally, she wouldn’t be so free to offer help, but there isn’t anything else that she can occupy her time with at the moment.

“Oh no, that’s fine. Dr. Hunt and I are working on our old Innovation Contest entry; it’s kind of top secret. I should probably take these to him myself.”

“Why is _everyone_ doing something cool except for me?” Jo groans, momentarily forgetting that the resident is still there.

“I mean, I could ask Hunt if we can add another person—” Casey offers.

“Huh? Oh no, no, that’s okay,” Jo says quickly before she starts walking down the hall, lost in her own thoughts. The fact that she’s jealous of a _resident_ is not a good thing. Perhaps Bailey will let her assist on the surgery.

Suddenly, Jo feels someone’s arms wrap around her waist and pull her backward. She squeals and whirls around, and her hands reflexively form fists in preparation to punch whoever’s touching her square in the jaw—that is, until she spots a familiar face grinning at her. “Alex! I thought you were flying back tomorrow!” she exclaims.

“Mmm, I know, but I couldn’t be away from my beautiful wife for that long,” Alex replies bending down to kiss her gently. “But also, I got called in for an emergency surgery that’s happening in three hours.”

“Hey, you don’t happen to need an assist today, do you? I’m bored out of my mind.”

“Unfortunately, no. It’s a fetal surgery—remember Margaret Peterson? My CHAOS patient?—so _I’ll_ be the assist. The surgeon should be here soon.”

Jo looks confused. “Link mentioned that Dr. Montgomery is coming, but I thought it was for—”

“Amelia’s delivery, yeah, I know. I asked her if she could come earlier, but she couldn’t take any more time off from her practice.” Alex rolls his eyes as the doors of the elevator ahead of them open. He raises his voice slightly, a smirk playing on his lips, and continues, “So instead of the number-one fetal surgeon in the country, I’m now _stuck_ with—”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Karev,” a familiar voice admonishes. A few seconds later, Arizona Robbins steps off the elevator and runs up to them. She gives Jo a quick hug before stepping back and turning toward Alex.

“Marriage looks good on you,” she pronounces. “As does, if my sources are correct, a brief stint at the worst hospital in the state?”

Alex blushes and Jo feels a pang of embarrassment on his behalf. “As does becoming Chief of Surgery and completely revamping what was _formerly_ the worst hospital in the state into a Level 2 Trauma Center,” she corrects.

Arizona smiles and nods. “Precisely. I’m proud of you, Alex. Now come on, let’s go look at our patient. We have a lot to catch up on.” And with that, the two of them walk off, leaving Jo by herself. Again.

* * *

“Thank you for coming in on such short notice,” Alex says quietly as he and Arizona take the trauma elevator up to Peds. “I know you’re pretty busy these days in New York.”

“Oh, no worries. Anything to help out a friend.” Arizona smiles. “So tell me, what have you been up to since you got back from Pac-North? Did you manage to bring your Africa Project back? I know you were thinking about doing that.”

Luckily, they reach the patient’s room before Alex is forced to come up with a response that doesn’t sound _completely_ boring. He holds the door open for Arizona and follows her inside.

“Hi Ms. Peterson, I’m Arizona Robbins. I’ll be performing your fetal surgery today, with Dr. Karev as the assist.” Arizona gestures vaguely in his direction, and Alex nods.

“Do you have any questions before we start prepping you?” he asks, but Arizona has already pulled up a 3-D model of the human body on her tablet. She launches into a detailed explanation of the surgery they’re going to perform, using her fingers to enlarge and shrink parts of the model accordingly. Alex watches her in awe.

Afterward, as they walk to the OR, Alex asks if the procedure has changed since the last time he saw her perform it. “I could have sworn it was much longer,” he explains.

“Yeah, we devised a new method, maybe, six months ago? This way is not only less time-consuming, but it's also much safer for both mom and baby. Actually, most of it is based on another paper that came out last year from UMich. Did you not read it?”

Alex shrugs and nods, his head buzzing. He hadn’t even _heard_ of such a paper. There was so much he didn’t know.

* * *

“Hey, can I get some help with these?”

Wondering if she’s somehow been demoted from surgical fellow to bellboy, Jo turns around and finds herself face-to-face with none other than Callie Torres, who is currently juggling three suitcases, two laptop bags, and a cardboard box.

“Wilson! Look at you!” Callie exclaims before Jo even properly registers her presence. “How are you doing?”

“It’s, uh, Karev, now,” Jo informs her, holding up her wedding ring. “I wasn’t sure if I should change it, but in the end, I felt like—”

“Oh, I totally get it. My wife and I had a huge debate about it, too, and we just decided to hyphenate,” Callie says, handing Jo a suitcase and a laptop bag to carry. “I can’t believe she insisted on bringing all this luggage and then left me in the parking lot with it so she could rush up here for her consult.”

Jo nearly drops the bags in surprise. “Wait, you and…?”

“Oh, Arizona didn’t tell you? We tied the knot again a few months ago. Sophia’s over-the-moon, of course, and, well, so are we.” Callie smiles and looks around the lobby. “It’s so good to be back here. I’ve missed this place.”

“And we’ve missed you,” Jo replies. “I’m taking a break right now, actually; if you want, we can drop these off at the Attendings’ lounge and go catch a cup of coffee?”

Callie nods and they set off to the lounge. Jo’s grabbing her wallet out of her bag when Link walks in, looking unusually happy.

“What are _you_ all smiley about?” Jo asks him. “Is it because of Amelia’s ultrasound this morning?”

Link shakes his head. “I mean, yeah, when Amelia’s happy, I’m happy. But a patient just came into the ER with the gnarliest looking—” Suddenly, his eyes drift over Jo’s shoulder and he gasps. “Calliope Torres! What are you doing here?”

Callie, who was tying her shoe in the corner, looks up with an equal amount of surprise on her face. “Arizona’s doing a consult for Karev! What are _you_ doing here?”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Jo asks. “How?”

“We met at an Ortho conference, what, two years ago?” Link says. “And our hospitals in New York were next to each other.”

“I didn’t know you were applying to the Chief position _here_ ,” Callie says. “I’d have put in a good word for you. After all, it was my job you were trying to get.”

“Well, I’m here now, aren’t I?” Link laughs. “Hey, do you guys want to see something cool? It’s a patient with this fracture that—”

Before Jo realizes what’s happening, the other two doctors are walking out of the lounge, deep in discussion. She follows two steps behind them, struggling to make sense of the medical jargon that sounds only slightly familiar to her now.

* * *

“So, you never got to tell me, How’s the Peds department doing without my help?” Arizona grins. They’re in the OR now, and she’s manipulating the instruments while Alex watches the screen above them.

“Just trying to get it back on track, really. It’s been a tumultuous year for the hospital. Watch the scope.”

Arizona adjusts accordingly. “I imagine it hasn’t been easy, especially since the insurance debacle.” She looks at him knowingly. “I don’t know whether I should yell at you or hug you.”

“Believe me, Bailey’s already yelled at me enough for a lifetime.” Alex rolls his eyes. “But you’re right. I want to further the research that I started for the Surgical Innovation contest, but—” he sighs. “It’s been hard.”

Alex was expecting at least a sympathetic glance, but Arizona barely reacts. A heavy silence surrounds them as she guides the instruments through a particularly difficult part of the procedure.

He clears his throat and shifts uncomfortably. “Um, actually, I was wondering if you had any advice or anything? I mean, if you don’t that’s—”

“Alex Karev, remember what I told you a few years ago? If you’re ever in trouble, you come to _me_.” Arizona pauses purses her lips thoughtfully. “Your history isn’t really helping you, but I really do think that you’re due for a change. Have you considered pursuing a fellowship?”

“That’s a huge time commitment, and I don’t even know what I’ll do it in, anyway. I don’t want cardio or colorectal, and I spend enough time in the ER already; I don’t need to spend time doing trauma.”

“You could always try Fetal,” Arizona murmurs. “You have a leg up on most people, ‘cause you’ve assisted on quite a few already. Forceps.”

Alex hands them to her and shakes his head. “Jo and I are—well, we’re thinking about kids, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make that work. No offense, but your marriage kind of fell apart when you did it.”

“You’re forgetting that I completed a two-year fellowship in six months, and Callie and I were having problems before then, too. Plus, if you come to the Robbins-Herman Center, you won’t be bogged down by admin or all the other stuff you have to do here.”

Alex shrugs again, and Arizona laughs. “I’m only kidding about the fellowship, but just think about everything else, alright? You don’t want to be stuck at the same level forever. Maybe ask Bailey if you could take on some more responsibility here, otherwise.”

Alex doesn’t have the heart to tell her that the chances of that happening are slim.

* * *

“You don’t see something like _that_ every day,” Callie comments as Jo follows her and Link out of the Pit. “I would have killed to have a case like that as a fellow,” she adds and glances at Jo. “Although I don’t think I would trust _my_ fellow with anything as complex.”

“Actually, I would. Mine is an actual Ortho Prodigy,” Link grins cheekily.

Callie rolls her eyes, but then her expression inexplicably softens. “I always knew Jo had it in her.”

Jo blushes. “Oh, actually, I’m not his—I was actually thinking about Peds, and then I got into a really cool Minimally Invasive Surgery program at Mass Gen, but I ended up doing a Surgical Innovation fellowship with Dr. Bailey,” she explains hurriedly.

“I didn’t know that was a thing.”

“It’s research, mostly. Lots of literature review, too. It’s more behind-the-scenes than in the OR.” Jo hears a hint of annoyance in her own voice as she speaks, but she can’t be bothered to stop it.

“Oh.” Callie briefly looks dejected, and Jo’s heart breaks a little. She hates disappointing her mentor. “Well, listen, it’s going to be a huge hassle for you to apply for the Match for Ortho, but if you ever get bored with, uh, what you’re doing, just shoot me an email. We’ll always have a spot open for you.”

Jo’s jaw drops. “Wait, you mean—”

“As my fellow. If you want it, of course.”

Jo’s sorely tempted, especially given how _stagnant_ her current job is, but she needs to talk to Alex, first. “I _do_ miss the thrill of it all,” she admits.

Callie smiles.

* * *

Jo bumps into Alex on her way back to Lounge, but he’s so lost in thought that he doesn’t even see her until she waves a hand in front of his face.

“Oh, hey,” he murmurs, giving her a quick peck on the lips.

“What were you thinking about? Oh no, was your surgery okay?” Jo asks worriedly.

“Yeah, it was fine.” Alex shifts his legs uncomfortably. “The weirdest thing just happened, though. Arizona thinks I need a change of pace, like a fellowship or moving hospitals or something.”

“No way, she offered you one too?” Jo gasps, then winces. This wasn’t how she was planning on telling him about what Callie said.

“Well, yeah, but I—wait, what did you just say?”

“Callie was kind of upset I didn’t go into Ortho. She said she’ll always have a spot open for me in her department.”

“In New York?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you considering it?” Alex stares at her, and for once in her life, Jo can’t tell what he’s thinking.

She shrugs. “It’s an idea. It’s not like I’m doing anything important here. But that’s crazy, right?”

“Absolutely. But—I don’t know, it would also be kind of cool. Maybe you should at least think about it?” Alex shrugs, but Jo sees a glimmer of something—hope?—in his eyes.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously.”

Jo smiles and breathes a sigh of relief. “Listen, why don’t we go home and discuss it?”

Alex nods, and she reaches across, takes his hand, and they walk to the elevator.

* * *

A few weeks later, Alex walks in from work to find Jo sitting at their tiny dining table with a laptop, a tablet, two calculators, and three piles of printed-out spreadsheets in front of her. He has a vivid flashback to a similar scene many years ago, featuring an exasperated Jo shoving a stack of student-loan debts in his hand, and smiles to himself.

He gently moves one of the piles and places the plastic bag he’s carrying in its place, and it’s only then that Jo looks up at him. “Hey,” she mumbles sleepily, rubbing her eyes with one hand and reaching for the bag with the other.

Alex swats her hand away. “They’re donuts. Let me make dinner first.”

Jo frowns, but Alex suspects that she hasn’t had anything to eat all day—except for half a bagel she stole out of her hand that morning—and he’s not about to let his wife live off of sugar. “What are you doing?” he asks instead.

“Just double-checking all the numbers and paperwork,” Jo sighs. “Making sure everything’s in order for tomorrow.” She looks up at him. “And that we’re making the right decision.”

“Jo—”

“No, Alex, look. We wouldn’t even be considering this if Callie didn’t dangle an Ortho fellowship at me like that, and yeah, it would be _amazing_ to work under her again, especially since she has this new robotic limbs project that—” she catches the note of excitement entering her voice just a second after Alex does, and sobers up—“the point is, it’s a huge change for you too. And I could always do a fellowship here as well.”

“New York has some of the best Peds programs in the world, and Arizona pulled some strings so I’m both Deputy Chief and Head of their Pro-Bono Surgery Program, so even if I _wanted_ to, I can’t drop out now.”

Jo nods but still looks skeptical. “I know all that, but still—”

“Sure, I’m sad to leave Seattle, but Mer has her sisters to be with her now, and New York’s closer to where my mom and Amber are. Besides, Bailey’s always said I’m destined for greater things besides Grey-Sloan.” Alex smiles in what he hopes is in a reassuring manner.

Jo laughs. “I saw she put you down for that conjoined-twins surgery this morning. She appears to have forgiven you. I would have hated it if you left on bad terms.”

“And you know what another plus-point is? Our new apartment has more than one room, and Callie says that the district we’re moving to has some of the best schools in the state,” Alex continues eagerly, and then blushes. “I mean, it may be a few years off still, but—”

“I’d much rather take our kid to Central Park on the weekends instead of that place around the corner,” Jo finishes.

Alex walks around the table and wraps his arms around her. “I love you.”

“Mmm, I love you too,” Jo murmurs, leaning up and pressing her lips against his. Alex moves to deepen the kiss, but she pushes him away.

“We’re leaving tomorrow morning, and you still have six boxes to pack. Move!”

* * *

Their new apartment has two floors and a balcony, complete with a giant kitchen and a living room significantly larger than the entirety of their old flat. Their first child is born eight months after they move in (“wow, we were _really_ happy, huh,” Alex comments when Jo shows him the positive test, earning him a whack on the shoulder) and they adopt their second through their local Safe Haven program soon after.

Alex makes it a point to FaceTime Meredith every Wednesday and Friday morning (Tuesdays and Thursdays were always Cristina’s days, and Mondays are for all three of them). He chooses not to pursue a fellowship, but Arizona’s advice at the back of his mind motivates him to win his first Harper Avery within two years and his second three years after that. He stays in touch with Webber and Bailey, and several graduating GSMH residents come to him every year for their fellowships. Once he’s made Chief of General Surgery, his hospital is the first in the nation to fully integrate the teaching practices of HRCWH into their surgical residency from day one.

Jo completes her Ortho fellowship in a record-breaking six months (although Callie isn’t surprised whatsoever). She immediately gets funding for her own prosthetics lab associated with Alex’s hospital, and the ground-breaking research she produces gets published multiple times; whenever a journal approaches her for an article, she obliges without hesitation and immediately sends them a write-up and a fresh headshot. Despite how busy she is, she makes it a point to spend as much time as she can in the OR perfecting surgical techniques, training residents, and inspiring countless female surgeons to pursue Orthopedics.

Occasionally, Jo asks Alex if he has any regrets. “With moving here?” he asks. “In general,” she replies. Every single time, he shakes his head _no_.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you guys for reading!
> 
> Title is a quote from the show. The "'Seriously?' 'Yeah, seriously'" exchange is blatantly taken from the Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode "Manhunter." 
> 
> When I first started writing this, Link was going to play a much larger role and there were going to be actual conversations between Jo & Link/Alex & Meredith/Alex & Bailey…so just pretend all of that happened behind-the-scenes. 
> 
> One point of clarification: I decided to have Alex _not_ take on the Fetal fellowship because he has never expressed an interest in doing something like that on the show, and it was more important to me that Jo pursue Ortho. 
> 
> Whether you liked this or not, I sincerely hope it was at least better than the monstrosity the Grey's writers chose to go with. Do let me know what you think; kudos/comments are always appreciated.


End file.
